Young Characters in History

YOUNG CHARACTERS IN HISTORY, by professor willard done, president of the latter-day

saints' college, salt lake city.

VI.

WILLIAM PITT, THE YOUNGER.

"Peace hath her victories, no less renowned than those of war." Milton might have added that peace, as well as war, has her defeats. The notable victories and the no less signal defeats of William Pitt were achieved and sustained on the bloodless field of diplomacy. Not the noisy clash of arms and the bustle of the camp, but the quiet of the council chamber was his element. His work demanded qualifications no less pro- nounced than those required by the characters already con- sidered. It will be our task to trace the development of those characteristics from his boyhood to the time when, still almost in his boyhood, he moulded the destinies of England. William Pitt was the second son of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, "The Great Commoner." That he was not the first son, and therefore heir to the earldom, would have been a source of regret to one possessed of idle ambition and less lofty ideals. But to Pitt it was a source of satisfaction, as he preferred activity in the house of commons to being virtu- ally buried in the house of lords. This desire for an active life was expressed by the child when he said, "I am glad I

am not the eldest son, I want to speak in the house of com- mons, like papa." At the birth of William Pitt, his father was one of the most famous and powerful men in England. The nation,

under his leadership, had just passed through some of the most fortunate events in its history, including the subjuga- tion of an empire in India, the conquest of Canada from the French, and the establishment of British supremacy on the sea. England was proud of Chatham, he was proud of his sons, and they grew up to love and respect him, and to emu- late his virtues.Between him and his children, there existed the deepest affection. Chatham manifested his love for them by giving them careful instruction along the lines in which he — was famous oratory and argument. This and other in- struction at home largely took, in William's case, the place of school education from which he was debarred by his weak physical condition. In his youth he was very precocious in certain lines of study. Chief among these may be mentioned literature, oratory, and politics, three accomplishments which were of ever-present assistance in his subsequent career. In these branches he was drilled by his father; and so skilful was the training and so great his precocity, that even in early boyhood his companions playfully referred to him as "taught by his dad on a stool." This grew, in great part, out of the fact that his father, who was a most excellent orator, had trained him in one of the most difficult of oratorical qualities, the control and management of the voice. And it is worthy of remark that the oratorical qualities thus inculcated did more than anything else to establish the complete mastery which he subsequently exercised over the house of commons, whenever he arose to speak. Much more by the force of his eloquence did he sway the hearts of men, than convince them of the justice of his policy. When that proud, musical, well- modulated voice resounded through the house in words of burning eloquence, it was difficult for his opponents to stem the tide of feeling set in motion by his oratory. His speak- ing was of the commanding, persuasive order, with sufficient of the element of pleading to relieve it of harshness, though not enough to render it weak. The excellent quality of his public speaking was due not alone to the elocutionary training above referred to (though that was an important element) but also to his assiduous cul- tivation, from youth to manhood, of a valuable and admirable

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habit. It was his custom, as a boy, to take the printed speeches of great orators and parliamentarians through a course of critical study and analysis, special attention being given to those points which admitted of a logical answer. These answers he carefully framed, and then weighed them over against the corresponding elements in the speeches them- selves, accurately estimating their relative value. This habit naturally added skill in debate to his power as a speaker, and rendered the matter of his speech as important as the manner. The combination was almost irresistible. In the light of this explanation, it is no cause for wonder that upon hearing Pitt's first speech in the house, some one exclaimed, "He will be one of the first men in parliament:" and the brilliant Fox replied, "He is so already." Nordo wemarvel that Burke said, "It is not a chip off the old block, but the old block itself." All this fame had come to him at the early age of twenty-two. In view of certain educational prejudices now held by many among us, it may be well to mention that Pitt's prepar- ation for a brilliant life largely consisted in a careful training at Cambridge University in the basic studies, English, mathe- matics, and Latin and Greek. The first gave correctness and finish to hislanguage, the second enabled him to follow strictly logical lines in preparing the framework of his speeches, and the classics gave him a wealth and elegance of vocabu- and illustration, and a smoothness lary, a store of allusion and polish which carried the shafts of his eloquence straight to the mark. To one whose work consists, in any consider- able degree, in public speaking, such a training is invaluable. William Pitt entered into public life at twenty-one years. True he was defeated when he first stood for parliament, but the next year his election was secured, and he became immed- iately, one of "the first men in parliament." So soon, in- deed, was his genius recognized that he was advanced to the

position of chancellor of the exchequer at the age of twenty- three. When he first entered parliament the American Rev- olution was in progress. He was as strongly opposed to the obstinate, oppressive policy of George III and Lord North,

as his father was when he exclaimed, "If I were an American,

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as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms never, never, never!" Pitt had imbibed this sympathy for the oppressed and this love of freedom, in his youth; and only under force of the most discouraging circumstances, did he depart, in later life, from strict adherence to human rights. Only when the seed of liberty sown by the American Revolu- tion had grown into the terrible license of the Reign of Terror and subsequent events in France, did Pitt feel justified in ap- plying severe measures to lessen men's liberties. For this he has been blamed, while in reality it was a fault of the times, not his own. No one who has studied the development of the social heresies of that epoch, and Napoleon's usurpation and exercise of despotic power in the name of destiny and necessity, can censure Pitt for his feelings of apprehension and his necessarily harsh measures for suppressing socialistic theories. From his youth up he must be characterized as a friend of human liberty. And he had great opportunities, even in youth, for exercising dominion over men. In parlia- ment at twenty-two, and practically prime minister at twenty- three, he had risen to almost absolute authority at twenty- five. From that time until his death, the government of England was almost uninteruptedly under his control; yet oppression was not a characteristic feature of that period. Unlike most men who have occupied similar positions, Pitt did not enrich himself at the expense of the state. The lessons of self-sacrifice to principle acquired in his youth, were retained through mature life. Was an office with no work and a high salafy at his disposal, he appointed a super- annuated soldier, instead of taking the office himself; were bribes employed to control official actions, he spurned them with contempt; did opportunity offer for him to rival, with ill-gotten wealth, a Wolsey or a Walpole, he preferred poverty with honor. While we may censure, with justice, his living beyond his means, we cannot but honor him for his incorruptible integrity. Although it maybe questioned whether his early training, which taught him to despise wealth, was wise, yet there can be no question as to the right- fulness of contempt for unjust gains.

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One characteristic which developed in youth, to increase in manhood, was his overwhelming pride. He was of the upper class, and plumed himself on that fact. This pride was manifested in his youth, and estranged him from many who might have been his playmates, just as it estranged him in manhood from those who might have been his colleagues. It made him constantly an object of suspicion to the lower

classes, a suspicion which, as we have seen, was unjust. It caused him to be accused of coldness in youth and cruelty in manhood, when reserve and lack of ostentatious sympathy would better have described his condition. Of bluff, hearty good-will, with its attendant manner, he displayed not even a trace. This pride manifested itself in his oratory. Grand as was his speaking, filled with metaphor, simile, allusion, and one felt, in listenmg to him, a serious lack of flights of fancy, sympathetic power. In his great contemporary, Fox, this sympathy was a prominent element of oratory, and all hearts were drawn toward him. Pitt depended on power of argument and skill in rhetoric, for his success in debate. It goes without saying that if Pitt had suppressed in manhood this characteristic of his youth, his success in public affairs would have been more pronounced and lasting. No man can hope to gain so much by repellant as by magnetic measures in public. If Pitt had realized this fact and acted upon it he

might have been saved disappointment and ultimate failure. Pitt rose to overwhelming power, and the zenith of his fame, at the age of twenty-five. He was then the greatest man in England, and one of the greatest in the world. An old head, ripe with learning and wisdom, sat upon his young shoulders. King and counsellors waited upon him and bowed in acknowledgment of his power. Whether such au- thority at such an age is a good thing for its possessor, may be a serious question. No matter how great a genius a man may be, his head is likely to be turned by the accumulation of so much authority at so early a stage of his public life. It

happened so in the case of Napoleon, and I think the same judgment may be passed upon Pitt. His pride was intensi- fied, his reserve increased. While men might admire him more, they loved him rather less. A zenith always implies a 39

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horizon and a nadir. The more quickly the sun of a man's fame reaches its highest point, the sooner will it descend to- ward its setting. This turning point in Pitt's life occurred in 1792, after some eight years of almost absolute rule. During the remaining fourteen years of his life, disaster after disaster overtook him and his party. The French revolution was in progress, and Napoleon was entering upon his wonderful career. The test of Pitt's ministry was in its contest with Napoleon. That it should not have been equal to the test, is not surprising. By rapid successive steps, Napoleon arose to the zenith of his power. It is a singular coincidence that Ulm and Austerlitz, the two battles which marked the highest point of Napoleon's fame, caused the death of Pitt. He had never been robust; and when the news of Ulm reached him, he received it as a death blow. The report of Austerlitz came to him as he was approaching his death. "Roll up the map of Europe," he cried. "It will not be wanted these ten years." Then after a short silence, he exclaimed, "Alas my country!" The remaining days of his life were but a liv- ing death. Therefore, he may be compared to the Greek Isocrates, the "old man eloquent," referred to by Milton as having been "killed with report" of the victory of Philip at Chaeronea. A victory "fatal to liberty." In one particular Pitt stands out in pleasing contrast to many public men of his own and other times, his strict mor- ality of life. The careful training given by his father in youth had much to do with this. From boyhood he was taught to regard himself as a gentleman, elevated above gross sensual- ism. He was always true to this training. No men are more exposed to temptation than those whose lives are devoted to the public. No one yielded less to such temptations than Pitt. The coldness of his nature did much to preserve him from excesses, and the strength gained by the blamelessness of his life fortified him against personal attacks which might otherwise have been made upon him. In conclusion, it may be well to recapituate, in brief form, the youthful qualities developed in Pitt, to fit him for the task of parliamentary leadership. His studiousness has already been referred to. So marked was it that his mother

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said of him, "The fineness of William's mind makes him en- joy with the greatest pleasure what would be above the reach of any other creature of his small age." His study of debates attracted the attention of Fox, who sat by the boy while a discussion was in progress. When a point was made by one of the speakers, Pitt would exclaim, "But surely, Mr. Fox, that might be met thus," or "Yes; but he lays himself open to this retort." So keen were the answers he suggested that Mr. Fox was astonished at his penetration. His ready and complete mastery of mathematics increased this quality, and enabled him to develop wonderful logical method. His study of English, Greek and Latin classics was profound and critical, and tended to the development of a correct, and, at

the same time, attractive style. The strict purity of his private disarmed opposition and destroyed calumny, life

while his contempt for the "spoils of office" won him univer- sal respect. From his early training in English arose his wonderful control over language, which enabled him either to express his thought with the clearness of a mountain stream, or, when occasion arose (as it frequently did in his diplomatic discourse) to hide it under a turgid Jordan of verbiage. Lastly, his untiring energy and indefatigable zeal resembled the incessant striking of a hammer on malleable iron — sure to make a lasting impress. While slave drivers have quoted Pitt in support of their oppressions; anarchists in vindication of their vagaries; op- ponents of parliamentary reform in defence of their oppres- sive measures; and radical Protestants against the emanci- — pation of Catholics still in every case his course gives the lie to their claims. "History will vindicate him from calumny disguised under the semblance of adulation, and will exhibit — him as what he was a minister of great talents, honest in- tentions, and liberal opinions, pre-eminently qualified, intel- lectually and morally, for the part of a parliamentary leader, and capable of administering with prudence and moderation the government of a prosperous country, but unequal to sur- prising and terrible emergencies, and liable in such emergen- cies to err grievously, both on the side of weakness and on the side of violence."